Arts instruction in our
middle schools follows a sequential body of content knowledge and
skills that broadens learners' understanding of visual expression.
Adolescents explore, organize, understand, and evaluate their
abilities in art. As they observe and discuss visual environments,
they extend and deepen the basis of their knowledge of art. They
learn to value curiosity and to appreciate flexibility in their
thinking and decision-making.

Middle school courses lay
the foundation for work at the high-school level by providing students
with opportunities to:

Express ideas, thoughts,
and feelings

Explore a wide variety
of media

Collaborate on group
projects

Relate art to social,
environmental, and political issues

Art as a means of
self-expression is of primary importance in the middle school. Students
grow more independent in the process of producing artworks that are
meaningful to them. They also mature in their abilities to observe,
experience, and express themselves in effective and innovative ways.
Teachers encourage exploration and experimentation and consciously
individualize instruction to meet the varied needs of their students.
Students engage in complex problem solving and creative thinking as they
examine ideas relevant to the study of art.

Students' appreciation of
art deepens in middle school. Teachers provide many opportunities for
students to experience contemporary art, works from the past, and
artwork from other cultures.

Learners develop a deeper
understanding of other cultures through their exposure to many different
cultural notions of art. Students learn the use of a variety of tools
and techniques as they learn to elaborate and manipulate images and
ideas to create original works of art.

With strong links to English
Language Arts and Social Studies, students are provided a rich
background of connectiveness of curriculum content as they move through
the middle school art curriculum